ti of the 1'ERsoN J CHRIST. 181 throne of grace ; Chrift is the high prieft, fo on his right hand in glory and power, as yet to be before the throne in the virtue of his facerdotal office, with the whole concernmentof the church on his hand, tranfaéting all things With God for them: All the' holy angels, and the fpirits of jut men made perfekt encompafling the throne with continual pratfes unto God, even the Father and him, on the account of the work of infinite wifdom, goodnefs and grace in his incarnation, mediation and falvation of the church there Iiy; lumfelf continuing to manage the caufe of the whole church before God, prefenting all their prayers and fervices unto him, perfumed with his own intercelfion, is that refemblance of . heaven and its prefent glory, which the fcripture offers untous. But alas how weak, how dark, how low, are our conceptions and apprehenfions of there heavenly things; we fee yet as through a glafs darkly, and know but in part. The time is approaching when we fhall fee there things with openface, and know even as we are known. The heft improvement we can make of this profped, whilft faith fupplies the place of future fight, is to be flirted up thereby unto holy longings after a participation in this glory, and confiant diligence in that holy obedience whereby we may arrive thereunto. What remaineth yet to be fpokenon this fubjed, bath refpelt unto thefe two enfuing propofitions. (s.) All the effefts ofthe offices of Chrift, internal, fpiritual and eternal, in grace and glory ; all external fruits of their difpenfatión in providence towards the church, or its enemies,are wrought by divine ,power; or are theeffefts of an emanation of power from God. They are all wrought by the exceeding reatnefs of his power, oven as be wrought in Cbrifl him- felf whenhe railed him from the dead, liphef. i, i8. For all the outward worksofGod,fuchas all thefe are, which are wrought in and for the church, are necesfarilyimmediate effefts ofdivine power; nor can beofanother nature. (2.) Upon fuppofition of the obedience of Chrift in this life,' and the attonement made by his blood for fin, with his exaltation thereon, there is nothing in any eflential property of the nature of God, nothing in the eternal unchangeable law of obedience to hinder, but that God might work all theft things in us unto his own honour and glory, in the eternal falvation of the church, and the deftrudion of all its enemies, without a continuance ofthe adminiftration of the offices of Chrift in heaven, and all that facred folemnity of worship; wherewith it is accompanied. Thefe things being certain and evident, we may enquire thereon, whence it is that God hall ordered the continuation of all theft things in heaven above, feting thefe ends might have been accomplilhedwithout them, by immediate ads of divine power. The great works of'God arefought out ofthem that have pleafure in them, Pfal. cxi. 2. This therefore being a great work of God, whicja he bath wroughtand revealed unto us, efpecially in the effefts and fruits of it, and that for the manifeftation of his wifdom and grace, it is our duty to enquire into it withall humble diligence. For revealed things belong unto no and our children, that we may do the will of God for our good. Wherefore, [r.] God would have it fo, for the manifeftation of his own glory. This is the firft great end of all the works of God. That it is fo, is a fundamental principle of our religion. And how his works do glorify him is our duty to enquire. The eslential glory of God is always the finie, eternal and immutable. It 'is' the being of God, with that refped which aTi creatures hate unto it. For glory adds a fuppofition of relation unto being. But the manifeftations of his glory are various, according to the Z e, pleafure
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